What Are The Signs of The End Times?

Mankind has always been fascinated with knowing the future; our only reliable source of prophecy is the Word of God. In Matthew 24, Jesus prophesied His return to Earth, offering signs of the times. In this message, Adrian Rogers shares eight signs that indicate the beginning of the end.

When is the temple going to be destroyed?
Lord, Jesus, when are you going to come and rule and reign?
And when will this present age in. That’s the question that they’re asking.
Now, the lord Jesus begins to answer this question, and that’s what we’re going to do.
Jesus gives them the signs of the times, what the age will be like between his first coming and his second coming, what we can look for, what will happen, and then what will be the convergence of these signs so that we can know that the lord Jesus Christ is at the door.
Profound truth simply stated. This is love worth finding with path teacher and author Adrian Rogers.
Would you take god’s word and find a Matthew chapter 24, Matthew chapter 24.
We’ve been thinking in these days about end time prophecy.
And the second coming of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, now let me tell you something, folks.
We’re not talking about something that is incidental.
We’re talking about a major doctrine in the word of god in the old testament The second coming of Jesus Christ is mentioned 1200 times, and in the new testament, There are over 300 direct prophecies that deal with the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Now if the Bible puts that emphasis upon end time prophecy in his coming, so should we?
Now, we live in a world that wants to know the future.
And man has always had a intense desire to prophecy and to look into the future.
And so we have all kinds of so called clairvoyance and soothsayers and prognosticators and astrologists and all of these who portend to tell the future.
But they make some colossal mistakes. The only book that bats 1000 is the word of god.
The Bible says we have a more sure word of prophecy. Now I want to say about the Bible.
Many times people say the Bible is up to date.
Frank, the Bible is ahead of time more than up to date.
More than, does it fit in with today’s headlines? It fits in with tomorrow’s headlines.
When they have not yet even been written. 1 of the great chapters on prophecy is Matthew chapter 24.
Let’s look in verse 1. And Jesus went out and departed from the temple.
And his disciples came to him for to show him the building are the buildings of a temple.
Now the temple was a magnificent structure.
An ancient historian whose name was, Josephus, said that the temple sat there on, the mountain, like a a mountain of snow itself.
It was indescribably wonderful and beautiful. But why all of this attention concerning the temple?
Because in the prior chapter, chapter 23, Jesus had said that temple would be destroyed.
And Jesus said, Not 1 stone would be left upon another.
Now Jesus was prophesying what the Romans would do 40 years later Titus, the Roman general came, surrounded Jerusalem with armies in order to starve out, the Jews that were there inside Jerusalem, but it would have been an unthinkable thing for Titus to have destroyed that temple.
Because the Romans were not destroyers of temples. They were preservers of temples.
And Josephus tells us that pilot had given order that the temple was not to be burned, not to be destroyed.
And yet, Jesus had said, not 1 stone would be left upon another.
I won’t tell you something, folks. It did not seem reasonable that the temple would be destroyed.
That’s the reason we need to learn to live by revelation and not by reason.
Because what happened is this, during the warfare, somebody shot a flaming arrow or something into the temple, and the temple caught on fire.
It was done inadvertently. But the temple burned And as it burned, the timbers and so forth caved in upon themselves and left a charred ruin.
Now, you know that the parts of it were overlaid with gold, and there were all kinds of treasures on the inside.
And in the succeeding days and months, and even years, people wanting to loot and to find the gold in that temple got their great pry bars and began to pry the stones apart, 1 from another.
And when they were finished, Not 1 stone was left upon another exactly as Jesus had said.
So the disciples have come out to Jesus and said, lord Jesus. Look at this temple. That’s verse 1.
And Jesus said unto them, see not all these things?
Verily, I say unto you, There shall not be left 1 stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.
If you were to visit Jerusalem today, and go to the temple mount, you would say, yes, lord, you were exactly precisely right.
You can visit the ruins of other temples, and they’re still there. But not the ruin of this temple.
Not 1 stone is left upon another.
And as he set upon the mount of olives, the disciples came unto him privately saying, tell us when shall these things be?
That is when will the temple be destroyed? And what shall be the sign of by coming?
The lord Jesus begins to answer this question, and that’s what we’re going to do.
Jesus gives them the signs of the times, what the age will be like between his first coming and his second coming, what we can look for what will happen, and then what will be the convergence of these signs so that we can know that the lord Jesus Christ is at the door.
Now, let me give you these signs. I’ll let them start with the letter d so you can remember them.
Alright. Number 1, deception. That’s the first sign. Deceptions.
Look if you will in verses 4 and 5.
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man shall deceive you for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ.
And shall deceive many.
So deceivers and deceptions are 1 of the marks of the last day.
Put in your margin. First John chapter 4 versus 1 and 3 or 1 through 3.
First John chapter 4 versus 1 through 3.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits.
That is test the spirits, whether they are of god because many false prophets are going out into the world.
Hereby I know ye, the spirit of God.
Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of god.
That is, don’t look for another Messiah. Don’t look for another Christ.
The lord Jesus Christ has come in the flesh That’s the spirit of god.
Now, notice verse 3, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of god, This is that spirit of Antichrist, wherever you have heard that it should come, and even now already as it is in the world, or is it in the world?
That is there are many Antichrists already in the world today.
As we told you last week, an Antichrist means somebody who comes opposing Christ and instead of Christ.
The prefix anti ANTI means instead of and against it means both of these things at the same time.
Now has this prophecy been fulfilled and is it being fulfilled?
Well, we’re we’re told that in our generation, many of you here at least 50 years of age, not all, but many.
In the past 50 years, No less than 1100 significant persons have claimed to be Christ.
In the past 50 years, they’ve claimed to be Christ and the savior of the world.
But Jesus said These days will be marked by deceptions and false Christs.
And the Bible says, we are not to believe every spirit.
That’s why you had better get a lock on the truth that is revealed in god’s word. Alright.
Sign number 2. Sign number 2. Not only are you going to find deceptions, sign number 1, but divisions.
Divisions, sign number 2, look in verses 6 and 7, if you will.
And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars see that you be not troubled for these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nations shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there’s and, well, let’s just stop there.
Here, we’re talking about divisions That is people through down through the centuries will never solve the problem of war.
Now, suppose that we live in a world where there were no more wars.
Then Jesus would have been proven to be a false prophet, but we have been plagued by the specter of war.
And as we get toward the end of the age, we see more and more wars in number and intensity.
Now let me say that from World War 1 to this present time, At least there has been some every month.
There has been an attempt. Since World War 1, once a month, at least on an average, an attempt to take over the government of some country either by war, or by terrorism, or by political, economic, or racial or religious change, that our world is in a state of division.
See what is happening in our world today. You see the spreading terrorism, skyjackings.
You see bombings You see assassinations, you see sabotage on every hand.
You and I, when we go through the airport, today. We have to be searched, bodily searched.
We have to take everything out of our pockets just to walk through that, magnometer that sees if we’re carrying any particular contraband upon us.
We see what is happening at this very moment in, the holy city, Jerusalem.
It’s a fulfillment of prophecy. Zechariah chapter 12 verses 2 and 3. Listen to it.
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about.
When they shall be in the siege, both against Judah, and against Jerusalem.
In that day, I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people.
Folks, that scripture is being fulfilled before our very eyes. Go home. Get your newspaper and read it.
Our lord says, first of all, there will be deceptions. Secondly, there will be divisions.
Now here’s the third sign. There will be disasters.
Look if you will in verses 7 and 8 of this same chapter.
The last part of verse 7, and there shall be famines, and pestilences and earthquakes in divers are in different places.
Now our lord, Jesus, looked down through the court of time, and the lord Jesus knew that man with all of his wit and wisdom with all of his ingenuity, with all of his agricultural know how, would not be able to solve the food problem.
He knew that famines would spread across the earth.
Did you know that today in in, this so called modern society, we’re living in a time of unprecedented famine.
This is for 2 reasons. Reason number 1 is agriculture itself. We have raped the lands.
The topsoil is gone, and we’ll talk about that later on.
But a second reason for famine is not agriculture, but war. Now he’s just talked to us about war.
And even where there are places where we have the foodstuffs, we cannot get the foodstuffs to the people because of the divisions in those countries.
And so it’s a compounded problem. 1 well known biologist said this. Listen to this quote. It’s staggering.
He said, there is not the slightest hope of escaping a disastrous time of famine. From this moment onward.
He said there there’s no hope. It’s going to come. He’s not a bad dispatcher now.
He said it is shockingly apparent. That the battle to feed man will end in a route.
That is we’ll lose the battle. Not just lose it slowly. It will end in a route.
Another has said. And I quote, planet Earth is no longer a sustainable society.
With world population doubling twice in this century, the world’s land is being worked so hard for food that 1 quarter of the top soil is turning sterile or eroding away.
Now we that takes us back to the sixth chapter of the book of the Revelation.
In the sixth chapter of the book of the Revelation, the Bible says the day will come when it will take a day’s wage to buy a court of wheat.
A day’s wage to buy a quart of wheat, put in there Revelation chapter 6 in verse 6 and listen to it.
And I heard a voice from the midst of the 4 b say a measure of wheat for a penny and 3 measures of barley for a penny.
Now a measure of wheat is a little less than a quart.
The word penny is a denarius it was used as a day’s wage.
And so it would take to buy in the days that are coming from 80 to 120 dollars to buy a quart of wheat.
Now are are we seeing the potentiality for that prophecy being fulfilled?
Then Jesus said, not only would there be famines, he also said there would be pestilence. Says?
Well, would you think that in the last days that man would be able to solve the matter of pestilences?
What is the pestilence that comes to your mind more than anything else? It’s age. Is it not?
And that is a pestilence we don’t know what to do with, but not only famines, not only pestilences, But earthquakes, Jesus said, would be a part of the signs of his coming and the end of the age.
There has been a dramatic increase in earthquakes in the last days.
Now seismologists, those who measure earthquakes, have explained what is happening by what we call plate tectonics.
That is that the land masses of this earth are floating on semi molten, earth beneath and these, crusts of the earth, which are 70 miles thick.
Resting on this semi molten, seething center of the earth.
And, As these, land masses, these plates get close to 1 another, there’s incredible pressure that’s built up underneath And, they sit there for only so long, and then they begin to slip.
And when they slip, giving way to this pressure, of course, that’s an earthquake.
And these, these places where they join together are called faults.
And when they break loose, it means that not only has there been an earthquake, but more earthquakes are likely to follow.
And, seismologists and historians have calculated that megalithic earthquakes have increased over 2000 percent since Columbus discovered America.
Now look if you will in verse 8.
Jesus talks about these disasters, and Jesus says all of these are the beginnings of sorrows.
And the word for sorrows here literally means birth pains. It’s as though mother earth is heaving in pain.
And, our world is pregnant with judgment. And, these are the beginnings of sorrows.
When you see these things, you know that a birth is about to come fourth.
And now let me mention the next, sign, number 4, write down defamation.
Look if you will in verse 9. Of this same chapter.
And they shall deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
So he’s talking about believers now.
Those who, take the name of the lord Jesus, They are going to be defamed.
Did you know this world has room for almost every religion except that of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ.
The persecution is going to center in the name of Jesus. The world does not mind religion.
But it it resents Jesus because Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life and no man cometh unto the father, but by me.
Did you know? In 12 months, in World War 2, it is estimated, that more Christians were tortured and slain than died under Rome in all of the early centuries in just 12 months.
Some authorities claimed that over 50000000 Christians were put to death, and slaughtered in Russia and other communist countries when, communism, the red devil of communism was moving as it has.
And if you, astute it all, you know that Christian bashing is a favorite sport today now in newspapers, radio, and television.
Now there will be defamation of Christians. I must move on. Look at the fifth sign.
There will be desertion. Look, if you will, in verse 10 now.
And then many shall be offended and shall betray 1 another and shall hate 1 another.
When this persecution begins, then true Christians will stand true to the lord Jesus.
And, he says they that endure to the end will be saved, but many are going to be leaving the churches.
Why will they leave? Because they will not be able to stand the heat.
Do you know what we have in in churches today, churches that are full churches of empty people?
People have never committed to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
And when the persecution begins, they will leave like rats leaving a sinking ship because some churches had been filled with a gospel with no hell, no judgment, no cross, no repentance, no lordship, they they have become glorified country clubs with steeples on top.
And then when this begins, they are going to leave. The is what the lord Jesus said.
Look if you will in verse 10, and many shall be offended and shall betray 1 another and shall hate 1 another.
There’s gonna be a contention within the churches. Real unity is in the lord Jesus.
I must leave that point and go on to the next because of time, there will be dis information.
That’s the next sign. Number 6, look if you will in verse 11, and many false prophets shall rise and deceive many.
Now what’s the difference between a false prophet and a false Christ? A false Christ is definitely religious.
A false prophet just means somebody who speaks with authority. He will become a philosopher of this day.
Now there’s so many strident philosophies and human dick philosophies that are in the world today, humanism stresses the rights of mankind.
A true prophet stresses the rights of almighty god.
Now we’re up against new age humanism, today, And I don’t have time to get into that, but I must hurry now.
Disinformation. Our world is awash in disinformation with many false prophets who seem and claim to speak with authority.
The next sign number 7 is depravity. Look if you will in verse 12. And because iniquity shall abound.
Shall abound the love of many Shawak’s cove.
And when you have these false prophets who are preaching self interest, rather than the rights of almighty god, you’re you’re going to lose your moral anchor.
And we have a generation today that no longer believes in a fixed standard of right and wrong because of these false prophets.
And because of that, the Marl anchor is gone, and they go down, down, down, down, down into a swirling sewer of depravity.
For further information, read any newspaper.
The Bible speaks of man who drinks a, iniquity, like water, and the word iniquity here in the Bible is the word lawlessness.
It speaks of violence and the lawlessness that will be a sign of the last days.
I wish I had more time for that, but I must move on.
Write down the next sign and the next sign, the last sign, and I love it. It is declaration.
Declaration, the gospel will be preached around all of the world.
Look, if you will in verses 13 and 14, but he that shall endure unto the end shall be saved.
There will be listen, there will be faithful people who will believe in the lord Jesus right on to the end of the age.
And listen to he that endured to the end, the same shall be saved.
He’s not saying that you’re saved because you endure. He’s saying that you endure because you’re saved.
You wanna know who the saved people are. Those who endure.
And then he says this, and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations That means all tribes, all ethnic, and then shall the end come.
Now these other things would exist throughout all of the age.
But then he says there’s coming a special sign at the very end. This is the last 1.
This is the coup de grace. This is when the gospel is being preached around the world.
This was impossible in all other ages except our age, and now it has come to pass in our age.
You think about what is happening in this generation.
Through radio and television and books and tapes and leaflets and crusades.
All of the world has heard the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Not every person, but all nations, all ethnic, around the world, the gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached Now notice what our lord is saying.
Our lord is saying here, and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness and all nations and then shall the income.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, what does all of this mean? What does this mean to me?
What does this mean to you? Let me tell you what it means.
It means, first of all, you can trust the word of god.
It means secondly that Jesus Christ is coming.
The end of the age is coming, and we’d better bring people to Jesus Christ Thirdly, it means that those of us who know and love the lord Jesus Christ ought to be moving 1 step higher.
And god’s people said, let’s bow our heads in prayer. Heads are bowed. Eyes are closed.
And if you’re not saved, today is the day that you need to be saved.
I’m gonna ask there be no moving. Get perfectly still.
If you’re saved, begin to pray for those who are not saved.
And if you’re not certain that you’re saved, I wanna tell you that the Bible says clearly plainly, sweetly, sublimely, believe on the lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved.
That word believe doesn’t mean mere intellectual belief. The devils believe that way. It means trust.
Trust the lord Jesus. Make him the lord and master of your life. Trust him.
And you will be saved. Pra like this. Lord, Jesus, I’m a sinner, I need to be saved.
I deserve judgment, but I want mercy. Lord, Jesus, you died to save me.
You promised to save me. If I would only trust you, I do trust you, lord Jesus.
This moment, tell him that. I do trust you.
This moment, with all of my heart, come into my heart, come in now, right now, and save me.
I don’t ask for a feeling, I don’t look for a sign. I stand on your word.
I trust you to save me. I receive it by faith.
Now, lord Jesus, help me never to be ashamed of you.
I will make this public for your glory.
Amen.